Selective delivery-conveyer.



H. D. PRATT.

SELECTIVE DELIVERY GONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31 1913.

Patented June 2, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANooRAPn CQAVASIHNGTON. n. c

H. D. PRATT. SELECTIVE DELIVERY CONVEYER. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, 1913.

Patented June 2, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH C0,.WASHINGTON, D. c.

H. D. PRATT. SELECTIVE DELIVERY GONVEYER. APPLICATION FILED JAN. a1, 1913.

Patented June 2, 1914.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAI'H c0. WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWELL ID. PRATT, 0F PHILADELPHIA. PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 LINK-BELT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SELECTIVE DELIVERY-CONVEYER.

noesmo.

Specification of Letters Patent.

7 Patented June 2, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Hownm D. PRATT, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Selective Delivery- Oonveyers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that type of conveyer in which a horizontal traveling chain is used; the carriers being suspended from the chain.

The object of my invention is to construct a conveyer of this type so that the carriers can be loaded at one point and can be discharged at any point desired by setting trippers to contact with certain cams or other devices.

The invention is particularly adapted for handling small articles, such, for instance, as bobbins in a mill where the bobbins are received at a given point and can be discharged or distributed to different machines throughout the floor of the mill and by hay ing the tripping devices arranged at these machines the operator can load one of the car riers and, as it travels, it will automatically discharge its load into a bin or other receptacle at a particular machine. The carrier can be loaded at. any of these points with empty bobbins and discharged at any delivery point desired.

In the accompanyingdrawings :-Figure 1, is an enlarged side view of a portion of my improved selective delivery conveyer illustrating one of the carriers; Fig. 2, is an end view of a carrier showing the rails and chain in section; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on the line car-a, Fig. 1, showing the gate operating mechanism; Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view on the line bb, Fig. 2, showing the tripper; Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line c-c, Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a side view of the tripplng rod; Fig. 7 is an edge view of the tripping rod; Figs. 8 and 9 are views illustrating a modification of the means for discharging the contents of the carrier; Fig. 10 is a view of a modified form of carrier; and Fig. 11 is a view showing the carrier pivoted to the chain.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, 1-1 are the rails upon which the conveyer travels. These rails are made, in the present instance, of angle iron and are supported by brackets 2 secured at intervals to columns 3 located at certain points throughout a building, although they may be secured to walls or to partitions, according to the type of building in which the conveyer is installed.

4 is the conveyor chain made of a series of links pivotally connected and having rollers at the pivots. This is an ordinary type of roller conveyer chain. At suitable intervals flanged wheels 5 are mounted on the bearings 6 secured to certain links of the chain.

7 is a suspended carrier, also secured to certain links of the chain at given intervals and on the carrier are bearings for the wheels 8 which support the carrier on the rails 1.

On each side of the depending portion of the carrier 7 is a receptacle 9 shaped to hold the particular article to be carried. In the present instance, bobbins are to be conveyed from one point to another and the receptacles are so haped as to hold a series of bobbins. The front of each receptacle is open and is provided with an undercut gate 10 pivoted at 11 and actuated by a vertical rod 12 through mechanism clearly illustrated in the drawings, and which consists of a link 13 attached to an arm on the gate 10 and to an arm 18 on the lower end of the rod 12. A spring 19 is connected to this arm and to a fixed point on the carrier; there being a stop 20 which limits the movement of the lever so that the gate 10 is normally retained in its raised position. There are two of these tripping mechanisms, one for each gate 10. On each rod 12 are two trippers 14. These trippers are shaped, as clearly shown in Fig. l, and. consist of an arm adj ustably mounted on the rod 12 and a roller 15. The roller is V-shaped at its edge, in the present instance, as shown in the drawings, to enter a V-shaped groove in the tripping cams 16, which are secured to an arm 17 depending from one of the brackets 2, although these cams may be attached to a column or to a post at any desired point.

In order to locate the cams above the heads of the operators, I connect the trippers 14- with a sliding block 21 by a bar 22 which is adjustable in the tripper and I use a latch 23 on the block. One arm of the latch can be grasped by the attendant and the other arm is shaped to enter notches in the rod 12. The shape of the block is such that it forms a hand hold for the operator. By making the connection between the bar and the tripper adjustable, I can accurately set the tripper in respect to any cam.

The two receptacles 9 of each carrier have independent operating means so that either one or the other, or both may be operated to discharge at a given point.

In Figs. 8 and 9, I have illustrated a modification of my invention in which the bottoms 24 of the carriers are pivoted at 25, dispensing with the end gates.

26 is a vertical operating shaft for the movable bottoms having a two-armed lever 27 at its lower end connected to the pivoted bottoms.

28 is a latch rod connected to a spring latch 29 at its lower end which enters a notch in the rod 26. Each rod 26 and 28 has an adjustable tripper which strikes a cam. The latch rod 28 is first actuated to withdraw the latch, then the rod 26 is turned to tilt the bottom and to discharge the material.

If desired, I may pivot the entire receptacle, as illustrated in Fig. 10.

30 is the receptacle pivoted at 31 to a frame 32 which forms the bearing for the operating rod. It will be understood, however, that the particular type of receptacle will depend considerably upon the character and form of article to be conveyed.

If it is desired to carry the material up an incline from one elevation to another, then I preferably pivot the carrier 7 to the head 33 by a pin at, Fig. 11, so that it will always hang vertically, no matter what angle the chain assumes.

I claim:

1. The combination in a conveyer, of an endless chain; a depending carrier having a receptacle at its lower end; a gate for closing the end of the receptacle; a vertical rod connected to the gate; an adjustable tripper on the rod; and a cam, at a given point, for actuating the tripper to discharge the load when the carrier reaches a certain point. r

2. The combination in a conveyer, of an endless chain; a carrier depending from the chain; said carrier having two receptacles; a gate for each receptacle; two vertical rods one connected to one gate and the other connected to the other gate; trippers on each rod; and cams arranged, at a given point, to actuate the trippers and to discharge the load of the carrier.

3. The combination in a conveyer, of an endless chain; a depending carrier thereon having a receptacle at its lower end; a gate for said receptacle; a vertical rod having an arm at its lower end and connected to the gate; a spring for holding the gate in the elevated position to close the receptacle; a tripper on the rod; and a cam, at a given point, alining with the tripper, whereby the said tripper is actuated to lower the gate and to discharge the contents of the receptacle.

4. The combination in a conveyor, of an endless chain; a carrier depending from the chain; rollers for supporting the carrier; a track on which the rollers travel; a receptacle at the lower end of the carrier; a gate for closing the discharge end of the receptacle; a vertical rod for actuating the gate; a tripper adjustably mounted on the rod; a V-shaped roller carried by the tripper; and a cam having a V-shaped groove therein and arranged at a given point; said cam actuating the tripper to discharge the load of the carrier.

5. The combination of a carrier; a discharge device; a rod connected to said device; an adjustable tripper on the rod; a cam for actuating the tripper; a block on the rod; and a bar connecting the block to the tripper.

6. The combination of a carrier; a discharge device therefor; a rod connected to the said discharge device; an adjustable tripper on the rod; a block, also 011 the rod; an adjustable connection between the block and the tripper; a latch on the block for holding the tripper in position; and a cam for actuating the tripper.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HOIVELL D. PRATT.

IVi tnesses Jos. H. KLEIN, vVM. A. BARR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

